Thanks for the heads-up on the XPS M1210. I'm thinking of the following units:
Dell Latitude D420 (or 430 if it's out)
HP/Compaq tc2750p or the older tc4400
Lenovo ThinkPad x61s or x60/x61 tablet
I'm planning on buying in about a month or so. This machine to to replace a 5-year-old, 9-pound lap anchor whose GPU is just about toasted in addition to a broken CD-ROM and a few other things. I just need something light, portable, and with a good battery life to take notes with. That's why I am sort of leaning towards a tablet, but I'm not committed to getting one. Here's what I need:
1. At least 6 hours of battery life, preferably 8 or more.
2. Full-sized keyboard or pretty close to it.
3. Light weight and small size.
I don't need much of an HDD or a GPU at all, nor is CPU speed important. I'd rather have a ULV processor like the Intel U2400/500 or U7500/7600 than a full-voltage one to save on battery life and also the weight and power draw of a cooling apparatus sufficient for a normal 35-watt chip. HDD- don't need all that much, 60-80 gigs would be plenty. 30 might be a bit tight, but it'd do. RAM is also not that important, 1 GB will work just fine as I'll be running Linux and not Windows. And the GPU can be about anything, but I'd probably prefer an IGP because the laptop will not be used for anything remotely graphically intensive.